New high performance transparent UV-curable poly(methyl methacrylate) grafted ZnO/silicone-acrylate resin composites with simultaneously improved integrated performance

New high performance transparent UV-curable composites with simultaneously improved integrated performance were successfully developed, which consist of silicone-acrylate (SA) resin and poly(methyl methacrylate) grafted ZnO (ZnO-PMMA). The composites made up of SA resin and ZnO were also prepared for systematically investigating the effect of the surface nature of ZnO on the structure and property of the composites. Results show that the surface nature of ZnO determines the interfacial and morphological features of the composites, and thus leads to different integrated properties. Compared with ZnO/SA composites, ZnO-PMMA/SA composites possess higher UV-shielding efficiency and transmittance of the visible light, better thermal stability and lower dielectric loss. Specifically, the addition of a small amount (0.05 wt.%) of ZnO-PMMA to SA resin can significantly improve the UV-shielding efficiency (the composite absorbs 97% of UV light at 340 nm) while maintaining high transmittance of the visible light (88% at 650 nm); moreover, the composite also has high thermal stability and favorable dielectric property. These attractive features of ZnO-PMMA/SA composites suggest that the method proposed herein is a new approach to develop high performance transparent optoelectronic materials for cutting-edge industries. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.